


Blood and Venom

by TwistedAnkle



Category: Hazbin Hotel (Web Series)
Genre: Crying, Gen, Hugs, Implied/Referenced Abuse, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, Implied/Referenced Torture, Sad, Spider brothers, Spider siblings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-10
Updated: 2020-11-10
Packaged: 2021-03-09 00:28:50
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,794
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27495742
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TwistedAnkle/pseuds/TwistedAnkle
Summary: Arackniss finally talks about how he died.
Comments: 1
Kudos: 42





	Blood and Venom

**Author's Note:**

> I did this really fast (for me) I've had this idea for ages and wanted to write it.

Angel was outside Arackniss’s bedroom. He was alone in the deep maroon hallway. He nervously tapped his hands together and forced the lump in his throat down. He didn’t often feel nervous, it was a feeling he pushed down without even knowing it, but he felt he had really messed up… Whenever Angel and Arackniss had a fight it was Niss who apologised first. Sure, it took a few days, but it always felt like Angel could fully blame Niss, however, this time… maybe this was his fault… He let a heavy and shaky breath pass his lips. His eyes moving up to face the door. Silence.

Arackniss had been staying at the hotel for almost three months now. He had been doing... okay. Arackniss mostly just kept to himself. He was his own best company. But last night Arackniss and Angel had fallen into an argument, that quickly got physical when Arackniss used some not so nice words and Angel had spat venom back.

Angel didn’t normally care about that kind of stuff, but he had already been pissed, and hearing it from his own brother's mouth could make his blood boil. He thought Niss would work a little harder on that stuff for him.

It had all happened last night, at the time it felt like something they’d get over, they always did, but now Angel wasn’t so sure.

The small ebony spider had thrown everything off the table in the argument; in a storm between screaming, crying, and laughing hysterically. Angel had stepped in, telling him to chill, and was met with a fist in his face. The moment that happened Niss seemed to snap out of the blind panic. Angel had watched guilt well up in his eight eyes and before another word could be shared he’d raced out and locked himself in his room, and no one had heard from him since. 

The spider breathed in, pushing his shoulder’s back. His knuckles moved to the door. Silence… Tension filled the air, thick enough to cut with a knife. He held his breath, and when he knocked the tension was shattered by the sound, but only for a second. As nothing more followed. A small frown curved his lips. He forced himself to knock again and to his surprise, an answer came.

“Go away.” The voice mumbled from inside the room.

Well… not much of an answer, but it was better than nothing.

Angel rubbed the back of his neck. He went to speak, but words died. He didn’t know how to get his feelings into words. Fuck, why did this need to be so hard? All the things he wanted to say came out as a simple question. “Can I come in?”

No reply came so he gripped the door handle. “Oh, what was that, yes?” He pushed the door open.

“What?! No! I said—I mean, I didn’t say nothin’!” Arackniss yelled as Angel stepped in and shut the door. “Ya fucking dick.” He was sitting by the window, overlooking the red city.

Angel come over and eyes skimmed over the view. “Looks just as shit from up here as it does down there.” He yelled when Arackniss shoved him to the side and made a beeline for the door. “Hey wait!” Angel grabbed his arm, pulling Niss back to look at him. “Ya okay? I have been worried about ya.” A small frown had curved his lips.

Arackniss ripped his arm back. “Just leave me alone.”

Angel’s face twisted into confusion and then irritation. “What’s ya problem! I’m tryin’ say fuckin’ sorry!” He yelled down at him. “It’s not my fault ya so easy to set off! Why do ya think no one wants ya around!? Because ya make everyone ya around just as angry as ya!” he felt anger burning inside him, but then his eyes softened, glazing with guilt when his words sunk in.

He hadn’t meant to say it, hell, he didn’t even mean it.

Arackniss didn’t yell back and if anything, that made it so much worse. His eyes narrowed slightly, but it seemed more out of hurt than anger. He turned his head away, face hidden by the ebony hair hanging over his eyes.

Angel rubbed his arm, eyes filling with guilt. “I-I’m sorry.” He mumbled it slightly but did mean it. He felt even worse now, saying sorry wasn’t as easy as Charlie made it sound.

Arackniss let a small scoff out. “Fuckin’ fag.” He grumbled under his breath, but it made Angel’s eyes twitch.

“Ugh! Why do I even bother with ya!?” he threw his arms up. “It was a fuckin’ joke! A joke! I didn’t mean nothin’ by it! Last night was a mess on both our ends!” His hands clenched when Arackniss refused to speak or even look at him. “It’s just a name! Ya name! Not my fault ya picked something so… so stupid!”

Anger broke through Arackniss; he left it rage through him and broke out as a strong shove that sent Angel down on to his ass. Angel blinked, eyes wide and taken back. He went to yell at Arackniss but was cut off by Arackniss looming over him.

“Shut ya fuckin’ mouth!” He yelled at the pink spider. “I told ya not to make fun of it!”

“Not my fault it’s stupid!” Angel yelled back, only to scream when Arackniss dived at him, knocking him down again.

The two began scrapping on the floor, rolling about and it was clear Arackniss was the one winning. Angel tried getting up half a dozen times, only to be pulled back down by the ebony spider. He screamed at the top of his lungs, and in the background, a small knock came from the bedroom door.

“Um… Angel? Are you two making up?” Charlie called in with a soft and worried voice. She stood in the quiet hallway, sheepishly tapping her hand together as muffled screaming coming from inside the room. Charlie let a small whine out and then carefully pushed the bedroom door open, poking her head in to see Angel on his feet and stumbling over his long legs. Arackniss was on his shoulders, hands pulling at his face and ivory hair.

“Get off ya fuckin’ gremlin!” Angel yelled and ended up slamming into the large wooden wardrobe sending him over. Arackniss taking the impact of them crashing onto the floor.

Charlie stood in the doorway, hand resting on the door handle and jaw on the floor as she watched them. Her lips parted to speak, but Angel screamed again and she quickly backed out and shut the door. Leaving them to it.

Angel ripped Arackniss off, “Ya crazy fuckin’ bitch!” He yelled, throwing him to the side and quickly began fixing his hair.

Arackniss sat up, hair a mess, and glared at him, watching him press a hand to his cheek and hiss at the pain Arackniss had left behind. Seeing Angel rub his cheek made Arackniss scoff and turn his head away. There was a small part of him that left bad, but he forced that feeling down.

A blanket of silence fell down over the room. The air was stiff and awkward. Neither of them spoke, sitting in the thick silence. They’d had fights before, of course, they had, they were brothers, that’s how it worked, but it was always okay because they always knew no matter what, they’d get through it together, but this felt so… heavy. Angel felt bad, he knew he’d hurt Niss’s feelings and he didn’t like how heavy that made his chest. Arackniss wished he could explain why this hurt so much. He wasn’t used to letting his feelings overtake him.

Angel stayed sitting on the floor, resting back against the bed, legs together, and head tilted down. He wracked his brain around for something to say, he needed to say something! Sorry? Was sorry good? However, to Angel’s surprise, it was Arackniss who broke the silence in a low tone.

“Do ya ever think about… when we died?” He didn’t lookup. Back against the dark pink wall; clawed thumb running through the soft, deep red carpet under them. His eyes shifted up for a second to see Angel looking at him in silent concern. It made his eyes sharply shift back down, feeling his chest tighten. “Ya overdosed?” He asked weekly.

Angel seemed to be snapped back. He gave a small nod. “Yeah…” He rubbed his arm. “I um… it was less than a year after ya went missing.” He waved his hand a little. “I mean after ya job went wrong. That’s what Henroin called it.”

Arackniss looked up again. “Pa talked about it?” He seemed… surprised, but not angry or sad, maybe even… hopeful?

Angel's hand fell back down onto his lap. “No, not to me anyway. After it, he was drinking even more than before. I didn’t even think that was possible.” He gave a weak smile and looked to Niss. “I didn’t think he cared about anyone, but he wasn’t the same after ya left. I-I mean went missing… g-got kidnaped…?” He frowned. “I’m sorry, I don’t… I don’t know what word is best.” He looked away.

He knew little to nothing about what happened to Arackniss. Henroin never talked about it, but he heard the guy talking about it in his office. He could remember the countless nights he would spend hidden around the corner and listening to Henroin hire hitman after hitman, send group after group out to find Arackniss, but it always turned up empty. Henroin had thrown any money that came in into finding Arackniss but it never worked.

Angel wasn’t part of that life, the hitman life, neither was Molly. In all honestly, he hadn’t quite understood how fucked up that life was until Niss went missing. He knew Henroin blamed himself for what happened, even though he never admitted it. The guilt was eating him alive. He had sent Arackniss out on a job on his own, so he could stay home drinking, and that guilt had turned him into an even more bitter and angry person. Of course, it broke apart an already broke family. Mum had been gone for so long, she wasn’t part of any of their lives anymore. Henroin didn’t show any signs of wanting Angel or Molly around anymore, not that he ever did, but with no Niss, Molly and Angel had lost that small part that held them there with the family. So, they both left a month later, leaving Henroin to his searching and drinking.

Angel and Niss hadn’t been close in life, if anything their relationship had only begun to heal in the last few months, but just because they didn’t get on didn’t mean Angel wanted Arackniss to be in pain, to be scared and hurting. It all felt a little… hollow when knowing he would never see Niss again.

Arackniss gaze moved back down. Henroin had never talked about the life Niss never got to see, what happened after that night. Then again, Niss had never spoken about what happened, mostly because Henroin had never asked. He shuffled a little and rubbed his arm. “So… did he care?” He asked a little weakly, but Angel looked to him. Silence lingered between them for a moment.

“Yeah, he did. I didn’t think he cared about anyone, but after what happened, I think all he did was care.” Saying Henroin cared felt even stranger to say then think about, it left a bad taste on Angel’s tongue but watching that small smile curve Niss’s lips made his chest warm. However, then words left him, and before his mind could agree they were out. “How did ya die?” the look that crossed Arackniss face made Angel instantly regret it. “I-I mean-!” He cursed under his breath. “Ya never talk about it! A-And I get it! It isn’t exactly a conversation starter.” He rested a hand over his chest. “But do ya really not trust me? W-what do ya think I’m gonna do?! Laugh!?”

Arackniss head lowered. He was silent for a long moment before words passed his lips. “I don’t want ya to see me differently.” He put heavily. “I don’t want ya pity.” His eyes narrowed slightly.

Angel’s eyes softened with pain. He hadn’t seen Niss admit something like that before, he had always known Niss was secretive, but it felt like there was a lot of pain and fear behind that. That maybe he did want to talk about it but didn’t know how to. Angel shuffled over, across the floor, and beside the small black spider.

Arackniss couldn’t stop his body from tensing a little when Angel moved over, sitting so close he could feel their fuzzy hair touching. He breathed out. He left heavy, part of him wanted to talk about it, but the other half didn’t trust himself. He felt a lump form in his throat, but he forced it down. “I-I…” He tried to find the right words. “I don’t really know how to talk about it.” He admitted softly and refused to look at his brother.

Angel gently pushed against him. “Ya don’t have to if ya don’t want to.” He put softly, but Arackniss swiftly shook his head.

“I-I do! I think…” A small frown curved his lips. He sighed sharply at himself. “I just… don’t know how to get it all into words…” He pushed his midnight hair back. He thought about it; remembered what he could. He tasted the words in his mouth before speaking. “I guess… well, the job went wrong. Pa sent me in alone because it was meant to be an easy job, pick the money up and come home. I remember when I got there, it felt off, I don’t know why, just a gut feelin’ I guess. The jobs are always at night, this one was in a big abandoned warehouse. I wanted to turn around and go home, but I was too scared to come back to him empty-handed.” He looked down at his hands, watching his thumb run across the palm of his hand. He could feel Angel’s eyes looking down at him.

“I don’t really remember much between that and dying. There was so much talkin’. The guy even pulled a gun out on me when I walked in, only to quickly pull back and the first thing he asked was where Pa was. I-I mean Henroin.” He grumbled slightly. “we talked about the cash… I remember I counted some of it, the guy felt so off.” He felt his body stiffening, and part of him just wanted to shut up, but after a deep breath, he contained. “I don’t remember much, but other guys walkin’ in, and my phone went off, and the only reason I knew it was Pa was because it was that stupid jingle he liked so much.” A weak smile curved his lips and eyes warmed slightly. “I’d saved it as his ringtone,” He put softly, however, eyes glazed with sadness. “the moment it went off the guys jumped me.”

He scoffed sharply at himself; turning his head away to look out the window and over the red city. “I killed a few of em’, but they broke my hand the moment they had me down. That shit hurt.” He rubbed the back of his right hand, eyes still gazing out on the view outside. He turned his head back. “T-They moved me somewhere else, I don’t even know where! They wanted Pa dead! They’d been waiting for him, and they were pissed that I’d down up!” He felt so angry. This was the first time he had ever talked about this and all it did was fill his mouth with a bad taste and eyes glaze over. He thought after so long this would be easy!

Arackniss hands clenched, claws digging into his palms. “They said if I told em’ where Pa was, they would let me go. I knew that was fuckin’ bullshit! A-And besides, Molly and ya were at home! I’d be ratting out ya both too! T-They’d go after ya both too because they’re sick and fucked up!” He let his head drop toward and into his bottom set of hands. His hair fell down and a weak chuckle left him.

Angel looked down at him. Watching him shake a little and hands grip his face. His lips parted but words then left him.

“I always hoped that I would be strong enough…” He whispered and slowly lifted his head. “They beat me up, cut my fingers off, put my head under cold water. Didn’t see food for the week I was there.”

Angel felt sick and guilt filled him. “W-What!?” pain flooded his voice.

Arackniss glanced at him. “Ya never saw someone get tortured?” A small smile curved his lips when the pink spider quickly shook his head. “They really fuck ya up, not that it matters in the end since they’re gonna kill ya anyway.” He put casually and Angel didn’t know what was worse. How casually Niss talked about this part, or the torture itself.

“No!” Angel yelled. “It sounds fucked…” He frowned; face scrunched up with displeasure.

Arackniss snorted. “Well, it’s meant to be. Enough pain can make almost anyone break. Even if ya know ya gonna die, ya just want the pain to stop and welcome death. They do loads of fucked up shit.” He looked back down. He rubbed his wrists. “I didn’t talk, I almost did but I couldn’t, everything inside me refused to.”

Angel's lips parted but words died. A wobbly breath left him. “H-How did they… ya know…?”

“Kill me?” Niss asked, making Angel wince a little but nod.

Arackniss looked away. “Normally they just shoot ya, or cement shoes, but one of the guys loved poison.”

Angel felt his heart sink, a look of realisation, and dread washing over him.

“Atrax Robustus. I think.” he shrugged. “I don’t even know, didn’t ask. The guy in charge of it all seemed pretty high on himself when pulling it out.” A weak chuckled left him. “I was screaming on the inside at the creepy fuckin’ shit. It was big too, felt my skin crawl.” He pushed his hair back and breathed out. “So yeah, I survived getting shot and almost blown up half a dozen times, only to die from a spider bite.”

“W-Was it… fast…?” Angel’s voice trembled a little.

Arackniss gave a small shrug. “I don’t have no clue. It felt like I was shut in that room dying for days, but I don’t know...” He looked down, weak smile fading. “Then everything went black and I woke up here, in fuckin’ hell as a spider demon, some fuckin’ sick joke if ya ask me.” He fell silent, becoming lost in his own mind. It felt… nice. Not nice memories but nice to finally talk about it. He was ripped from his thoughts and jumped a little, he looked over as another sniff came from Angel.

Angel held his face in his hand and a small sob broke out of him, that swiftly melted into tears streaming down his face. He didn’t say anything, tears breaking out of him.

Arackniss blinked and was silent. Was Angel crying…? He somewhat awkwardly shuffled his body. “Um… Please stop.” He felt confused and most certainly uncomfortable. The only sound was Angel sobbing uncontrollably. “Angel, stop!” Arackniss put firmly, feeling slight anger behind it, but Angel kept crying! “Ugh! This is why I didn’t want to talk about it!” He snapped, eyes narrowing when the pink spider turned his head away and began rubbing at his tearful face. “Angel! I said-!” He flinched back a little when Angel sharply turned around.

“It hurts!” He yelled. His voice flooded with pain and tearful eyes narrowed slightly. “I-I always hoped… ya were dead…” He looked away again, “I know it sounds mean,” His voice trembled “b-but I-I didn’t want to think ya were suffering.” He shut his eyes tightly, tears making their way down his furry cheeks. “I-It hurt so much! Not ever knowin’ what happened to ya…”

His eyes filled with guilt; expression softening as he watched Angel turn his back to him and a small hiccup leaving him as he cried softly. The black spider gingerly moved his hand in, going to rest it on Angel’s shaking back, but stopped just before his fingertip could touch him. Maybe he should just go. Angel and Niss were never even that closes. Arackniss did care about Angel, but he didn’t feel like he was the closest person in his brother’s life. What if he wasn’t the right person for this? What if he just made things worse…?

After a long moment filled with Angel sobbing softly, he felt Arackniss arms wrapped around him. Both sets of arms around him, head resting on Angel’s back. He didn’t say a word, but Angel sniffed and shaky breath left him. “W-What are ya doin’?”

Arackniss forced himself not to let go. “I thought hugging was meant to help…”

A small snort broke out of a tearful Angel, followed by a weak chuckle but tears continued to fill his eyes. “I didn’t think ya knew what affection was.”

Arackniss pinkish-red eyes narrowed. “Pfff, whatever.” He mumbled and pulled away, crossing his arms firmly. “Next time go cry by yaself- Ah!” He felt panic exploded inside him, eyes widened, and body locked up when Angel’s arms tightly and warmly wrapped around him. His arms pinned to his chest. He felt Angel’s soft hair kiss him. He snuffled a little but didn’t try to pull away as Angel held him tightly.

Angel buried his face in his brother’s neck and held him tightly against him. “I didn’t say stop.” A small smile curved his lips.

Arackniss felt a warm feeling filled him, and it came out through his cheeks. His body was tense, and he couldn’t get it to relax, but he slipped one of his arms free from Angel’s hug and gently tapped the pink spider’s back. “This is stupid.” He mumbled slightly, pouting when Angel gave a warm chuckle but appreciated that he didn’t let go.

“Ya know… before I died. After I got bit.” Arackniss put in just a whisper. “I was in that room all alone, and I remember the last thing I thought was at least Molly and ya were safe… maybe even… happy.”

Angel didn’t pull away but eyes softened. Glazing over at Arackniss’s words. He held him tightly, eyes falling shut. For the first time in a long time, the silence between them didn’t feel so bad.


End file.
